Purifying gases



Patented a. 25, 1938 v UNITED. STATES Until' recently these gases have been largely waste products and'used as fuel in the oil-refining process'and elsewhere. Undermore modern l practice, these gases, which contain a relatively large proportion of unsatin'ated hydrocarbons,

have been subjected to polymerizationtreatment' to produce liquid polymers within a motor-fuel boiling range and having exceptionally high antiknock characteristics. The presence of hydrogen sulphide in the refinery gases delivered to the polymerization operation is objectionable for a number of reasons. It tends to cause corrosion of apparatus, imparts a disagreeable odor to the finished products, and may adversely affect the polymerization reaction, particularly when catalysts are employed. Moreover, the hydrogen sulphide may react with the hydrocarbons undergoing treatment, thereby resulting in a final prodnot dimcult or impossible to refine by ordinary methods.

It has heretofore been proposed to remove hydrogen sulphide from gases by contacting the same with an aqueous alkaline solution, such as a'dilute solution'of sodium carbonate. The primary reaction may be expressed as follows:

NazCOa+HaS- NaHS+NaHCOa The spent alkaline solution is then reactified by 40 subjecting the spent solution to conditions conducive to reversing the reaction as follows;

. In practice this is usually accomplished by blowing the solution with air or other inert gas. In such operations the amountof air required in the reactivation-may be from two to three times the amount of gas purified.

Various other methods of--actifying foul solutions of this character have been suggested, but

are open to various disadvantages. Vacuum ac-. tificationis expensive, and has not, so far as I know, been successful in this country. Simple alkaline solutions are not,. under ordinary conditions,'suitable for actification by heating, on ac- I PATENT OFFI-Clr. 2,134,501 I Horace B. Cooke, Greenwich, Conn, assignor to Process Management Company, Inc., New Yor N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application February 12, 1936, Serial no. 63,493

3 Claims. (01. 23-3) FEB 2 o 1940 count of the'relatively low carrying capacity of such solutions for hydrogen sulphide. 0n the other hand, gas-purifying solutions, such as a solution of sodium phenolate, which are suitable for notification by heat, cannot be used for the 5 purification of hydrocarbons in the liquid phase.

A principal object of my invention is to provide an improved process which will require equipment of smaller capacity per unit volume of gases treated, which will reduce the amount of alkaline 10 solution necessary per unit volume of gases treated and wherein the actification or reactivation may be accomplished in a simpler and more economical manner.

Other and more detailed objects-and advanl5 tages of my invention will be' apparent from a more detailed description hereinafter.

In accordance with my invention, the hydrocarbon gas to be-purified of hydrogen sulphide,

such as refinery gas, or refinery gas which has 20' been-largely freed from hydrogen or'methane by any of the old and well known methods, or other hydrocarbon gas largely composed of hydrocarbons having from two to four carbon atoms per molecule,'while at a temperature at or below the as critical thereof, is subjected to a pressure adequate to convert it into a liquid. This liquid is then contacted with a dilute sodium carbonate solution containing for example fro'mlto 6% of sodium carbonate. Since the hydrogen sulphide 30 is in liquid phase and is consequently more highly concentrated than it would be in vapor phase, the

reaction velocity ofthe first named reaction and the proportion of sodium hydrosulphide resulting therefrom is increased. While the first reaction 35 is believed to be the primary one taking place in the purifying zone, other reactions tending to-increase the amount of hydrogen sulphide absorbed by the solution-may take-place. Inany event, the amount of hydrogen sulphide absorbed 40 I by a given volume of alkaline solution is higher when the reaction is accomplished under the pressure required to maintain. the hydrocarbons in liquid phase.

' After contact with the hydrocarbons, the spent 45 alkaline solution is separated from the purified liquid and 'a'ctifiedunder lower -pressure,for example, at atmospheric pressure. Under the 'reducedpressure the concentration of hydrogen sulphide gas, will be reduced, thus reversing the 50 reaction and' efiecting a removal of the absorbed 'hydrogen""su'lphide. 'wAdditional hydrogen sul-. phide removal may be accomplished by subjectf 'ing the solution to heat or by blowing with air, steam. or other inert gas. During the removal of RElSSUED carbon dioxide may be released and where this occurs, the solution should be replenished in CO:

- somewhere in the cycle in order to maintain the sodium carbonate solution at the desired strength. The reactified alkaline solution is then returned to the system.

With the above general nature and principal objects in view, the invention will be better understood from the more detailed description hereinafter, in which reference will be made to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this description.

Referring to the drawing, the reference character i0 designates a charging line for receiving the gases to be treated to remove hydrogen sulphide therefrom. These gases are freed of hydrogen and methane prior to entering line It! and a well known manner for removing the hydrogen and methane will be briefly described although any other conventional method may be employed. Hydrocarbon gases, such as refinery gases, are conducted through line I having a compressor 2 to a fractionating tower 3 having suitable plates or fractionating trays 4.' The fractionating tower 3 is maintained at a sufficiently low temperature and at a sufficiently high pressure to effect separation of the hydrogen and methane in gaseous condition from hydrocarbon gas largely composed of constituents having from two to four carbon atoms per molecule in liquefled condition. The hydrogen and methane in aseous condition are removed from the fractionating tower 3 through line 5 having a valve 6 and the liquefied hydrocarbons of from two to four carbon atoms per molecule collect in the lower portionof the tower Ill. These liquefied hydrocarbons are withdrawn from tower 3 through line I and are passed to a suitable aocumulator 8. The normally gaseous hydrocarbons from accumulator 8 are conducted through line 9 to charging line it). The charging line it is provided with a compressor pump H for compressing the gas below the vaporization pressure thereof. The pressure required will depend upon the nature of the gas and may range from 200 to 1200 or more pounds per square inch. In case of refinery gas a pressure between 300 and 600 pounds per square inch is usually adequate.

The pressure side of compressor pump ll discharges through line 12 which terminates in a nozzle ring l3 located near the bottom of the absorption tower i l, from whence the liquefied gas passes upwardly through the tower countercurrent to a flow of alkaline solution introduced into the top of the-tower through nozzle IS. The

invention preferably contemplates the use of dilute solution of sodium carbonate containing from 1 to 6% sodium carbonate although other weak alkaline solutions may be employed.

The fiow of liquefied gas and alkaline solution is regulated to give the desired purifying effect. The tower It may, as shown, contain solid contact or packing material IT, for example loosely spaced brick located on spaced trays within the tower.

Preferably the rings l3 and I! are sufflciently spaced from the ends of the tower II to provide for separating zones below and above the same, respectively.

The purified, liquefied gas is withdrawn from the top of tower ll through line I 8 and may be passed to storage tanks (not shown) or directly to further processing equipment such as a polymerization'unit. The fouled alkaline solution is withdrawn from the bottom of tower ll through line I! provided with reducing valve 20 and discharges under reduced pressure into the top of actifying tower 2 I. The actifying tower 2| preferably contains solid contact material, which may be in the form of loose brick 23 disposed on spaced perforated trays 24.

Air or other inert gas may be passed into the tower 2| through line 26 and blown upwardly through the tower by means of blower 21 countercurrent to the flow of the alkaline solution.

The actifled solution is withdrawn from the bottom of the actifying tower 2| through line 28 and passed to an accumulating tank 29 from which it may be withdrawn through line 30 and forced by means of a pump 3| to a cooler 32 and thence to the spray nozzle IS in the purifying tower i4 and recycled through the system.

' The hydrocarbons undergoing .treatment and the purifying solution in the tower M are preferably maintained at atmospheric temperature or thereabout. v

The hydrogen sulphide liberated, combined with inert gas introduced in the bottom of the tower 2i, in case such gas is introduced, is removed from actifying tower'2i through a vent pipe 33. Carbon dioxide to replenish that re-' lBy liquefying the gases to be treated the concentration of the hydrogen sulphide in the purifier is increased, thus shifting the reaction equilibrium' to the right to form a relatively larger proportion of sodium hydrosulphide, and by reducing the pressure in the actifier substantially below that existing in the purifier and below the vaporizing pressure of hydrogen sulphide the reaction equilibrium is shifted back to the left, thus releasing the hydrogen sulphide as a gas. It will be observed that according to my process, liquid phase conditions prevail in the purifier, whereas in the actifier the hydrogen sulphide is in vapor phase and is removed from the system as formed.

It will be understood that fresh solution should be added to the system continuously or from time to time to maintain the desired strength and to replace that lost by unfavorable side reactions.

Having described the preferred embodiment, it is understood that my invention embraces such other modifications and variations as come within the spirit and scope thereof and that it is not my intention to unduly limit the invention or dedicate any novel features thereof.

I claim:

1. A method of desulphurizing gases obtained from oil refinery operations which comprises separating hydrogen and methane from said gases to obtain normally gaseous hydrocarbons containing at least two carbon atoms per molecule therefrom, passing said normally gaseous hydrocarbons through a treating'zone at a tempera- 76 lure suificiently low and at a pressure sufilciently high to maintain said gases in liquefied condition,

intimately contacting said gases while in liquefied state in said treating zone with a sodium car-- bonate solution capable oi reacting with sulphurcontaining compounds in said liquefied gas, separating the thus treated liquefied hydrocarbons from the sodium carbonate solution containing the sulphur compounds,'passing the sodium carbonate solution containing the sulphur compounds to'an activation zone, removing said sulphur'compounds therefrom in said-activation zone to reactivate the sodium carbonate .tor-

iurther se." and returning the reactivated carbonate solution thus obtained to said treating zone. n

-2. A method of desulphurizing gases obtained from oil refinery operations which comprises I separating hydrogen and methane from said gases to obtain normally gaseous hydrocarbons containing at least two carbon atoms per molecule Y therefrom. said normal saseous hydrocarbons through a treating zone at a temperature suificiently low and at a pressure sumciently high to maintain said gases in liquefied condition, in-

timately contacting said gases while in liquefied carbonate solution containing the sulphur compounds in' said activation zone wherein said solution is reactivated for further use, and returning said reactivatedsolution to said treating zone. v f

3. A method in accordance witnclaim lwherein carbondioxid'e is added to the solution to replenish that lost during: reactivation thereof.

Homes- 3.- 

